2012 Topps Pro Debut - First Look

Topps has produced this set since at least 2010, but this is the first time I bought any. There were 185 cards in the box. At $.30/card, the price wasn't bad. I haven't cataloged every card yet but I don't think I got any doubles so I must have a pretty large proportion of the set. I see on Beckett.com that a number of the cards have short-print variations but I haven't chased that down yet. Beckett doesn't give any way to tell which is which but I'm hoping that baseballcardpedia.com will.

Jiwan Jones #13

As I believe is the case from previous years, the design is the same as the regular Topps set.

There are no stats, only biographical information on the back. Since this guy has been in the minors since 2007, I wasn't quite sure what this set is trying to do.

Chase Davidson #19

 This guy made his pro debut in 2011. I finally figured that the set is based on the player's minor league status in 2011. Cards of players making their debut in 2011 have the Pro Debut logo. I actually pulled several Astros players from the box.

Tanner Peters #62

 
One of my favorite cards from the box. In 2011, Tanner was playing for A's single A team, the Vermont Lake Monsters. I like the background, which seems very not-Vermont like, his team name and the fact that he's wearing #68 on his uniform. I'm guessing this is a photo from spring training in Arizona.

Bryce Harper

There are a few players included who made their major league debut in 2012 (or even in 2011). Topps probably figured that this set would sell better if Bryce Harper was included. They even put him on the box. He did make his pro debut in 2011 so I guess he belongs in the set.

Jarred Cosart

 Another Astro. Cosart was a high draft pick of the Phillies who was traded to the Astros in 2011 in the Hunter Pence deal. Cosart is from League City Texas, where I now live and was drafted right out of high school, the same high school my kids attended. He is 2 years younger than my youngest son so they must have been in school together.

Rymer Liriano

There is only one parallel set, the gold. These are numbered to 50 and I pulled 2 of them.

Alexi Amarista

 The box promised two autographs. They are sticker autos, pretty much what you expect these days. Amarista actually was called up in March 2011 and played a lot in 2012 for the Padres.

Sean Buckley

 Buckley was the 29th round pick of the Cubs in 2008 but didn't sign. The Reds drafted him #6 in 2011 and he started in their minor league system that year, thus the Pro Debut logo.

Anthony Gose

 This is a 50-card insert set, apparently inserted one per pack because I got a bunch of them. Gose was the Phillies #3 pick in 2008. He was part of the trade with the Astros that brought Roy Oswalt to the Phillies. The Astros traded him the the Blue Jays for Brent Wallace. Gose hit .223 in 166 at bats for the Jays in 2012.

Matt Szczur

The box also promised two relic cards. There are 41 of these, plus a Gold parallel.

Will Middlebrooks

 I don't really consider a manufactured hat patch to be a relic, but apparently Topps does. Middlebrooks played 75 games for the Red Sox in 2012, hitting .288.